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A good dinner party once involved glugging back copious amounts of wine, eating too many hors d'oeuvres and struggling to squeeze in a few mouthfuls of pud. Not to mention the scintillating company and raucous laughter.

But the latest trend in the quest for peak personal fitness involves guests having their blood tested while being given a detailed nutritional breakdown of every morsel that passes their lips.

Rather than competing over their latest holiday adventures or children’s piano grades, the group of friends will compare notes on who has the highest cholesterol or not enough vitamin D.

It is expected to become the next big thing for those who are tiring of kale smoothies and quinoa, who are already au fait with every HIIT workout, spinning class and pilates session on the market and feel the need to pursue further health goals.

The first such event to hit the market was launched last week and has already attracted considerable attention.

Toral Shah

The bespoke party package costs from £250 per person and will include a three course meal and a talk by London-based nutritional scientist and Cordon Bleu chef Toral Shah.

Up to eight guests will gather at the host’s house but that is where the parallels with a traditional dinner party end.

There will be no wine poured on arrival. Indeed, participants will have been banned from eating for a good couple of hours. The party then strays further from the norm when the next person to arrive is a phlebotomist, complete with needles and medical equipment to test everyone’s blood, looking at things such as cholesterol, thyroid function, vitamins and minerals and markers for cardiovascular disease.

So far, so enjoyable.

But once the task at hand has been completed, drinks can be poured. Ms Shah will then serve a pre-prepared “banquet style” three course meal whilst at the same time giving those gathered around the dinner table a talk about nutrition and personal health. The food will include a seasonal starter, plenty of protein and a healthy pudding.

Rather than retiring to the drawing room for a digestif, guests will then be treated to a question and answer session about anything relating to their meal, health, fitness or lifestyle.

When the blood results are ready, they will be sent directly to both the participant and Ms Shah, who will then provide individual 30-minute telephone consultations to go through them and offer tailored lifestyle advice.

The concept of such a party emerged from current trends to personalise fitness plans.

Ms Shah, 41, said people were becoming more and more educated about what they should be doing to improve their long term health. But while there are plenty of apps and fitness plans and diet regimes to change body shape, it is not so easy to have any great awareness about internal health.

She said people also found it harder to make lifestyle changes on their own, pointing to the success of Weight Watchers as proof of how group support can influence results.

“Consultants and GPs just don’t have the time to provide personalised nutritional and health advice,” she told the Sunday Telegraph.

Toral Shah has launched blood testing parties

“You can be incredibly health conscious but not really know much about your actual health. And there is so much information out there that it’s hard to separate the dross from the

Ms Shah said the parties had generated most interest amongst those aged 35 - 50, who are realising they need to start looking after their health and have perhaps known friends or relatives who have fallen ill.

Despite starting medical school, with a dream of being an oncologist, she had a change of heart when her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. Instead, she wanted to focus on nutrition, completing a Masters in nutritional medicine at the University of Surrey.

She was later diagnosed with breast cancer herself, at the age of 29, but puts her recovery down to a healthy diet and knowledge of certain food’s power in the fight against cancer and disease.

She has several links with cancer charities and is a firm advocate for the link between breast cancer and lifestyle.